More pitcher plants.

Now in focus!!!!

Top Gun.

Pensacola Naval Aviation Museum.

Following my first taste of flying a few weeks ago I thought I'd take it up a notch...

My Saddle.

Looks like the first picture.

But 2600 miles in, it feels like the second picture. (We went to the caves).

Fort Morgan.

Here are some shots from Fort Morgan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Morgan_(Alabama)

Bob Pederson is the person in the crosshairs (he'd taken the last slice of pie the night before. A decision he's about to regret).

Fort Morgan was the location of (just yards offshore) a major civil war naval encounter, the battle of Mobile bay.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mobile_Bay

More Alabama and some Florida.

It's been a couple of days since the last post so here's an update with pictures of our time in Alabama.

Puncture update.

Five so far.

That doesn't include fixes for original punctures that I've failed to repair correctly or for the dreaded Texan goat head plant that can attack your tyre with ten punctures at once.

Bammy.

Today saw us enter Alabama. (Bammy). It didn't rain and I saw my first live and healthy coyote. It ran away from me which is something I have now become accustomed to. We're staying on Dauphin island which the rest of the group pronounce in a very strange way. I explained that its French for dolphin which may have confused them. Dauphin island is in the Gulf of Mexico, so we've made the coast at last. Our hotel is on the beach but it looks a bit muddy so I'll give the obligatory dip a miss. Lots of pelicans about and the usual cheeky seagulls. The island is accessed via a 5 mile long bridge/causeway and tomorrow we leave it via a ferry if the weather isn't too bad.

Pitcher plant.

Saw these yesterday. Pitcher plants. I didn't have my glasses on and we'd been issued a tornado warning, so I was rushing, thus it's slightly out of focus. Sorry. Also notice the craw daddy (crayfish) hole on the left of the picture. It looks a bit like something a dog might do if it were unwell. Maybe that's why crawfish taste the way they do.

As for the tornado warning, it never appeared, which is a pity as it might have been a pleasant diversion from the 74 miles of driving rain....

Also notice in the second picture the bizarre lengths we have to go to stay dry. This was last nights campsite. it was a bit wet. Interestingly I slept like a log.

There's another house in New Orleans.

And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy, thank god that I'm not one.

More New Orleans.

It's bonkers but nice.

There is an insectarium in New Orleans.

It's called the New Orleans insectarium.

More pics from Mississipi.

Had a great night at the Haas Cienda (sic) RV p ark last night.

Crawfish.

We went out a couple of nights ago to this place: http://www.crawfishbarn.com/3.html

Interesting. I decided to sample the local delicacy, crawfish: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crawfish

What do they taste like? Well, if you've eaten lobster, that will provide you with no idea as to what a crawfish tastes like.

Imagine a winkle, if you've ever eaten one, if not, imagine what one might taste like. Now remove all flavour, add a dash of mud, a whiff of cloves (gah) and finally a slight suggestion of stale water. Voila! Crawfish a la mode.

Furthermore, you're expected to shell them yourself. Tch.

One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi.

Well, you get the picture....

You don't, we'll here they are.

Me, the Mississippi and the Audubon bridge.

Oh, and one of the run down tatty houses that they live in around here.

Sorry about the b&w, I forgot to change the setting back.

Sleeping arrangements.

Sleeping arrangements are changeable to say the least. One night you may be snuggled up in a one and a half star motel, with easy access to a useable "restroom". The next night you may find yourself chattering your teeth whilst sleeping outside under crystal clear skies at minus seven, wrapped up in a foursome of packing blankets (blankies) your sleeping bag and every item of clothing you wear including your cricket hat.
Last night was a new one, wrapped in two blankies, curled up on the back seat of a (dry) minibus whilst a thunderstorm played a solo in the percussion section. On the plus side when I left the van for the traditional midnight wee, I was surrounded by a group of armadillos, which was nice. They seem quite dim creatures.
I'm currently sporting two blankies and sleeping bag whilst inside a tent. This is ok but there'll be a heavy dew in the morning so I'll get wet before I get a cup,of coffee. Actually, I'll, probably still be damp from my midnight wee (the dew, not the wee).
Other previous locations have included a campsite bench. I was testing the theory that the cold and dew is far less troublesome two foot off the ground. That lasted about an hour until I started sliding off.
I've also slept in the back of the trailer with a sleeping bag and some blankies, but if the wind is in the wrong direction, it can get a bit blustery.
On the plus side, unlike some of the other cyclists, I didn't sleep in a puddle last night, so...

Chicot State Park.

Mitch and I rented a kayak and cruised the bayou.

Snakes, cypress trees, egrets, blue herons, alligators, turtles and a tree snake. Amazing.

Out for a Cajun slap up meal tonight.

Lafayette and Louisiana Wildlife.

We went to a Cajun music jam in Lafayette last night. It was a great chance to do something other than go to bed at 8:00 for a change. Interesting bunch of about 20 musicians. It did seem that they played the same song twenty times, but I was assured that is how Cajun music goes. On the trip back, the last mile saw us encounter a wild boar, armadillo, raccoon and a possum a few yards from the tents. Yesterday we also encountered some lizards and turtles, all refreshingly alive for a change.

We're staying at Chicot state park, we missed the chance to stay at the lakeside chalets which looked nice, but we're just off to hunt alligator so there's the chance of some fun there.